Force-touch sensing apparatus with metal traces
A force-touch sensing apparatus with metal traces includes an upper substrate, a metal trace layer, a transparent touch-electrode layer, an insulating layer, a transparent force-electrode layer, a resilient dielectric material layer, and a capacitance sensing circuit. The capacitance sensing circuit sequentially or randomly applies a touch capacitance-exciting signal to a selected transparent touch sensing electrode and receives a touch sensing signal from the selected transparent touch sensing electrode for a touch sensing operation. The capacitance sensing circuit applies a force capacitance-exciting signal to the at least one transparent force sensing electrode, and sequentially or randomly applies a counter-exciting signal to the transparent touch sensing electrode and receives a force sensing signal from the at least one transparent force sensing electrode for a force sensing operation.
1. A force-touch sensing apparatus with metal traces, comprising:
an upper substrate;
a metal trace layer arranged on a surface of the upper substrate, and the metal trace layer comprising a plurality of metal traces;
a transparent touch-electrode layer arranged on a side of the metal trace layer, and the transparent touch-electrode layer comprising a plurality of transparent touch sensing electrodes;
an insulating layer arranged between the metal trace layer and the transparent touch-electrode layer;
a transparent force-electrode layer arranged on a side of the transparent touch-electrode layer opposite to the insulating layer, and the transparent force-electrode layer comprising at least one transparent force sensing electrode;
a resilient dielectric material layer arranged between the transparent touch-electrode layer and the transparent force-electrode layer; and
a capacitance sensing circuit configured to sequentially or randomly apply a touch capacitance-exciting signal to a selected transparent touch sensing electrode and receive a touch sensing signal from the selected transparent touch sensing electrode for a touch sensing operation; the capacitance sensing circuit configured to further apply a force capacitance-exciting signal to the at least one transparent force sensing electrode, and sequentially or randomly apply a counter-exciting signal to the selected transparent touch sensing electrode and receive a force sensing signal from the at least one transparent force sensing electrode for a force sensing operation;
wherein an overlap percentage between a projection area of the transparent touch sensing electrodes and a projection area of the at least one transparent force sensing electrode is not less than 90%; and
wherein the capacitance sensing circuit is configured to apply a shieling signal having the same phase as that of the force capacitance-exciting signal to non-selected transparent touch sensing electrodes in the force sensing operation performed after the touch sensing operation.
2. The force-touch sensing apparatus in claim 1 , wherein a gap between each transparent touch sensing electrode and the adjacent transparent touch sensing electrode is not greater than 500 micrometers.
3. The force-touch sensing apparatus in claim 1 , wherein the metal traces are composed of at least one metal wire, and a width of the metal wire is not greater than 50 micrometers.
4. The force-touch sensing apparatus in claim 1 , wherein the capacitance sensing circuit is a self-capacitance sensing circuit.
5. The force-touch sensing apparatus in claim 1 , wherein the metal traces are made with a black metal material or a metal material covered with a black resin.
6. The force-touch sensing apparatus in claim 1 , wherein the resilient dielectric material layer comprises a resilient gelatinous material, and the resilient gelatinous material is compressively deformed under force and restores to original shape and volume if force is not present.
7. The force-touch sensing apparatus in claim 1 , wherein the capacitance sensing circuit is configured to apply a reflection signal having the same phase as that of the touch capacitance-exciting signal to non-selected transparent touch sensing electrodes in the touch sensing operation.
8. The force-touch sensing apparatus in claim 1 , wherein the touch capacitance-exciting signal or the force capacitance-exciting signal is an alternating signal or a current source; the counter-exciting signal is a DC reference signal or an alternating signal with phase opposite to phase of the force capacitance-exciting signal.
9. The force-touch sensing apparatus in claim 8 , wherein the DC reference signal is a zero volt signal.
10. The force-touch sensing apparatus in claim 1 , wherein the upper substrate is a glass substrate or a polymer material substrate.
11. The force-touch sensing apparatus in claim 1 , further comprising:
a lower substrate arranged on a side of the resilient dielectric material layer opposite to the transparent touch-electrode layer; wherein the lower substrate is a glass substrate or a polymer material substrate.
12. The force-touch sensing apparatus in claim 11 , wherein the lower substrate is a color filter substrate of a display screen.
13. The force-touch sensing apparatus in claim 11 , wherein the transparent force-electrode layer is a static shielding layer of a display screen.
14. The force-touch sensing apparatus in claim 11 , wherein the transparent force-electrode layer is a polarizing layer formed by a conductive material of a display screen.
15. A force-touch sensing apparatus with metal traces, comprising:
an upper substrate;
a touch-electrode layer with metal traces arranged on a surface of the upper substrate, and the touch-electrode layer with metal trace comprising a plurality of coplanar metal traces and a plurality of transparent touch sensing electrodes;
a transparent force sensing electrode layer arranged on a side of the touch-electrode layer with metal traces, and the transparent force sensing electrode layer comprising at least one transparent force sensing electrode;
a resilient dielectric material layer arranged between the touch-electrode layer with metal traces and the transparent force sensing electrode layer; the resilient dielectric material layer comprising a resilient gelatinous material, and the resilient gelatinous material compressively deformed under force and restoring to original shape and volume if force is not present; and
a capacitance sensing circuit configured to sequentially or randomly apply a touch capacitance-exciting signal to a selected transparent touch sensing electrode and receive a touch sensing signal from the selected transparent touch sensing electrode for a touch sensing operation; the capacitance sensing circuit configured to further apply a force capacitance-exciting signal to the at least one transparent force sensing electrode, and sequentially or randomly apply a counter-exciting signal to the selected transparent touch sensing electrode and receive a force sensing signal from the at least one transparent force sensing electrode for a force sensing operation; wherein an overlap percentage between a sum of a projection area of the transparent touch sensing electrodes and the coplanar metal traces and a projection area of the at least one transparent force sensing electrode is not less than 90%;
wherein the capacitance sensing circuit is configured to apply a shieling signal having the same phase as that of the force capacitance-exciting signal to non-selected transparent touch sensing electrodes in the force sensing operation after the touch sensing operation.
16. The force-touch sensing apparatus in claim 15 , wherein a gap between each transparent touch sensing electrode and the adjacent transparent touch sensing electrode is not greater than 500 micrometers; a gap between each transparent touch sensing electrode and the adjacent metal trace is not greater than 500 micrometers.
17. The force-touch sensing apparatus in claim 15 , wherein the metal traces are composed of at least one metal wire, and a width of the metal wire is not greater than 50 micrometers.
18. The force-touch sensing apparatus in claim 15 , wherein the capacitance sensing circuit is a self-capacitance sensing circuit.
19. The force-touch sensing apparatus in claim 15 , wherein the metal traces are made with a black metal material or a metal material covered with a black resin.
20. The force-touch sensing apparatus in claim 15 , wherein the capacitance sensing circuit is configured to apply a reflection signal having the same phase as that of the touch capacitance-exciting signal to non-selected transparent touch sensing electrodes in the touch sensing operation.
21. The force-touch sensing apparatus in claim 15 , wherein the touch capacitance-exciting signal or the force capacitance-exciting signal is an alternating signal or a current source; the counter-exciting signal is a DC reference signal or an alternating signal with phase opposite to phase of the force capacitance-exciting signal.
22. The force-touch sensing apparatus in claim 15 , further comprising:
a lower substrate arranged on a side of the resilient dielectric material layer opposite to the transparent touch-electrode layer; wherein the lower substrate is a glass substrate or a polymer material substrate.
23. The force-touch sensing apparatus in claim 22 , wherein the lower substrate is a color filter substrate of a display screen.
24. The force-touch sensing apparatus in claim 22 , wherein the transparent force-electrode layer is a static shielding layer of a display screen.
25. The force-touch sensing apparatus in claim 22 , wherein the transparent force-electrode layer is a polarizing layer formed by a conductive material of a display screen.